The New Black Episode 3 – Life and Death

by Patsyfox on January 7, 2018

In today’s edition of The New Black on 3RRR radio it was all about death and rebirth. I spoke with the beautifully eloquent Dr Pia Interlandi about her work in creating Garments for the Grave, and her incredible recent commission by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, for which she created a Little Black (Death) Dress for their current exhibition Items: Is Fashion Modern? You can see can see a brilliant set of images from the exhibition on their website. Worth searching out also is the documentary made for the ABC Artscape series – Soul, which documented Pia’s first collaboration with a client. Her originality and depth of thought is both touching and fascinating, and I love that she is helping to teach people to stare their death fears down.

We took a hook turn after that and welcomed to the studio fashion journalist Jan Breen Burns of VoxFrock, and The Age senior writer Kerrie O’Brien. Jan spent 12 years as fashion editor for The Age, at a time when they switched from print-first to digital-first, and Kerrie specialises in writing about the arts and entertainment areas, having worked on many areas of The Age including Spectrum, Epicure, EG, Domain. We chatted about how (fashion) writing and reporting has changed, the question of Are magazines dead? (Answer: NO – circulation is down but readership is UP), and the disruption in consumer habits that sees us not feeling the need to own things – we stream music, read magazines and newspapers online, car-share or Uber – as usual, it’s all inter-connected. We touched on the new disseminators of information – influencers. And more.

Pia’s Little Black (Death) Dress, currently on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The black dye is heat sensitive and turns to white when touched, then fades back to black.

Pia’s beautiful Garments for the Grave, described by someone as “Made from ivory coloured silk, cotton and hemp, without any metal zippers, plastic buttons, or synthetic firbres, the garments are completely biodegradable. The effect, including delicate silk pockets for the hands and feet, is reminiscent of a beekeeper who has fallen asleep wearing Comme De Garcons.”

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Fashion Illustration Classes

The Patsyfox Drawing Salon offers boutique Fashion Illustration classes for beginners as well as those with experience. Taught by Angie Réhe - illustrator and University lecturer, class sizes are small and most materials are provided.

Introduction to Fashion Illustration 8-week course. Tuesday evenings 6.30pm - 9.30pm from September 4th. This is a comprehensive course covering all the most important things you need to know for fashion illustration. Suitable for complete beginners or those with experience.

Draw Like the Masters - Classic Fashion Illustration. Sunday 16th September. 12.00pm - 4.00pm. The flair and artistic elan of the Masters are rarely matched in the modern day. There is a boldness and confidence that is full of movement and expression, and yet a complete economy of detail. Spend an afternoon discussing the greatest works of fashion illustration and applying the essence of their brilliance to your own series of sketches.

Watercolour & Ink Technique. Sunday 7th October 10.30am - 4.30pm. Are you sick of making mud pies with your watercolours and inks? This intensive workshop will look at the ways that both media are used, starting with the various qualities of the media, and the importance of tools - brushes, paper, etc. We'll start with a range of fundamental techniques and progress through some advanced effects, specifically as used in Fashion Illustration. It will be creative, it will be fun, you will love it!

So You Think You Can't Draw Faces? Sunday October 14th. A one-day intensive workshop exploring how to draw faces beautifully and correctly. Starting with the structure of the head and taking it through to stylised fashion faces.

Fashion Illustration Bootcamp! Sunday November 18th 10.30am - 4.30pm. A one-day intensive workshop suitable for absolute beginners or those with some experience. Learn the key fundamentals of fashion illustration and how to get a great figure down on paper, then colour it in a dynamic manner.

PRIVATE CLASSES - I have recently opened up some time again in my schedule for private tuition. Contact me directly for details. A more expensive option per hour, less time is required and lessons are designed and targeted specific to your requirements.

Gift certificates! The gift that keeps on giving, you can purchase gift certificates for specific classes and workshops, or just as a value to contribute to any Drawing Salon workshops. Valid for 12 months.